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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25603453">Something Like a Storm</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlight_Wren/pseuds/Starlight_Wren'>Starlight_Wren</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>District 7 (Hunger Games), Family, Gen, Home, Other Additional Tags to Be Added</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 08:16:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25603453</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlight_Wren/pseuds/Starlight_Wren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>She's a tribute, a victor, a mentor, a victim, a rebel. Most of all, she's Johanna Mason.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Reaping</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I got really interested in Johanna's character after reading a few fics starring her, so I decided to write one of my own! This is Johanna's life starting from the day the tributes of the 70th Hunger Games got reaped. (Shoutout to my beta reader, @dream_crusaders, who did an awesome job with edits and suggestions!) The first chapter is short, but the others will probably be longer. Reviews/comments are always appreciated, hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Jo, get up!” Johanna rubbed her eyes, having been begrudgingly pulled out of a peaceful slumber by her younger brother, Atlas. She’d nearly forgotten it was reaping day--</span>
  <em>
    <span>nearly</span>
  </em>
  <span>. ‘What if Atlas gets reaped?’ her head was spinning as she kicked off her blankets and got out of bed. It took Johanna a moment to realize that Atlas was, in fact, 9 years old and still had three more years before he could be reaped. At 16 years old, Johanna still had two more years of eligibility for the Hunger Games, so fear was fresh in her mind as she pulled on the blue dress her mother had picked out for her. She hated wearing flats, but Johanna’s mother insisted that she had to look nice for reaping, and so she’d agreed on wearing the stupid white shoes. Johanna eventually decided she looked presentable and emerged from her room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The reaping was always held at 9:00 am sharp, and God forbid if you were even a minute late. There was a pre-reaping, which was essentially choosing a group of 10,000 people to go to the reaping, rather than the entire 26,000 population. There wasn’t a place in District 7 where the reaping could be held so everyone could attend, other than in some sort of large forest clearing, though Johanna severely doubted the Capitol would allow their precious escort to touch the “filthy soil” of District 7. Johanna had been chosen for the pre-reaping, so she and her family had to go to the City Center to attend. The walk to the City Center wasn’t long, so the Masons could leave at 8:15 to ensure they weren’t even a moment late.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grabbing something quick to eat, Johanna grinned at her brother, who looked entirely ridiculous in his dress shirt and pants, rather than his usual t-shirts and jeans. “Atlas, you look stupid,” she said, poking him in the ribs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Atlas snorted, “I could say the same about you,” she shot him a mock-hurt look and went to check on her mother, who was struggling to get her shoes on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, Mama, you don’t have to go. You’re cleared by the District Manager to stay home,” Johanna stated nervously. Mrs. Mason just shook her head. She was in the third trimester of a particularly difficult pregnancy and had been sick lately. Johanna bent down to help her mom get her shoes on and helped her up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Has everyone eaten?” Johanna’s dad walked into the living room in a tuxedo, looking nearly as ridiculous as Atlas. He’d had to work weekends for a month just to afford it. Johanna headed out the door when everyone had confirmed that they were ready. Her heartbeat quickened as she breathed in the warm July morning air. With every step closer to the City Center, her fear grew. What if she got reaped? What if this was the last time she got to see her family? Johanna was lost in thought as she was directed toward the roped-off area for her age group.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The stupid, stupid escort gave her sickly sweet, Capitol loving speech. Johanna clenched her fists. “Happy Hunger Games,” the escort giggled, “and may the odds be </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever</span>
  </em>
  <span> in your favor,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well fuck you too,” Johanna muttered under her breath. The girl standing next to her stifled a laugh. Johanna smiled nervously--she hoped nobody had heard her. The peacekeepers were generally relaxed in District 7, but they did tend to show off on reaping day, or on any day a Capitol citizen was there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ladies first!” The escort chirped. Johanna’s heart jumped, and she swallowed hard. “Sparrow Beckett,” Johanna’s body flooded with relief but also felt sympathy for the girl who had been reaped. A 15-year-old girl walked onto the stage and took a seat. She seemed like she was scared, but trying to hide it. The escort walked painstakingly slowly to the other bowl and plunged her hand in, digging around. “Who’s going to be the lucky boy?” She trilled. It took everything for Johanna not to cuss this idiot woman out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Peter Cohen!” The escort called out, clapping. The boy was twelve years old and astoundingly tiny.  Johanna didn’t want to think that in three years’ time, that could be her little brother. She shook the thoughts out of her head. At the very least, she and her family were safe for the year.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The escort beamed as she held up the hands of the shaking boy and the stone-faced girl and announced, “Everyone, meet the lucky tributes of the 70th Hunger Games, Peter Cohen and Sparrow Beckett!” The escort’s smile looked uncomfortable as she was met with an awkward silence. ‘Good,’ Johanna thought, ‘let her be embarrassed,’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tributes were led to the Justice Building and everyone was allowed to go back home. Atlas flung himself at Johanna and began tripping over his words about how nervous he was that Johanna would be picked. Johanna herself hadn’t discarded the possibility that she could’ve been reaped. Her mother had taken leave off work early into her pregnancy and her father’s income couldn’t support the whole family, so Johanna had taken out four tesserae, one for each of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d taken two when she was twelve, and one when she was fourteen. It was worth risking it to get some food on the table. Her mother hadn’t started working until Johanna was nearly fifteen, so there was always a need for food. This year, Johanna’s name had been in eight times. But now that both her parents were working and Johanna had just started, nobody would need to take out any tesserae again, and they even had a bit extra money. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johanna let herself breathe. Although she felt immense sympathy toward the unlucky tributes, she was here, she was safe. She wasn’t going to be shipped off to the Capitol like a lamb to the slaughter. She was home, and that was what mattered.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Post-Reaping</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter's a bit short, but things will be picking up from here! Huge thanks to my beta reader, @dream_crusaders, she's the best! As usual, comments are always appreciated and I hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Post-reaping traditions were different for everyone in District 7, although one thing could be counted on; there were always two families who went home, turned out their lights, and drew their curtains. For Johanna’s family, post-reaping traditions included a large meal with the Waters family. They went back generations, although the only ones who would be coming to the Mason’s house were a husband, wife, and their two children. Arriving home from the Reaping, Johanna pushed all her feelings away--those were for later. She kicked off her shoes, relieved that her feet didn’t need to endure that torture again for another year. Johanna paused for a second, then shouted, “Think fast!” and threw her shoes at Atlas.</p><p> “Hey, that hurt!” He whined, then gave a mischievous smile and chucked his own shoes at Johanna, missing entirely. </p><p>She snorted, “good aim,” and went to throw a cushion at him, but a warning glance from her mother told her to put it down. Johanna tidied the living room and went upstairs to put on something more comfortable.</p><p>After an hour of cooking, (including an egg thrown at Johanna by a certain nine-year-old, who then had to go clean out the entire chicken coop as punishment) a wonderful dinner was placed on the table just as the Waters family arrived.</p><p>Johanna wiped her hands on her jeans and ran to greet them. The oldest of the kids, Ash, was Johanna’s best friend. The two hugged tight, silently grateful that the other hadn’t been reaped. Ash's younger brother, Flint and Atlas immediately took to roughhousing in the living room.</p><p>At dinner, the TV was turned on, and the recaps played. It was the same as the other years; there wasn’t much difference--the District 1, 2, and 4 tributes eagerly volunteered while the kids from other districts tried to hide their fear. One thing that was different this year was that there was a volunteer in District 9. An 18-year-old boy volunteered for his younger brother, who had just one arm and didn’t seem to be able to walk very well. Both Mrs. Mason and Mrs. Waters cried here, and Johanna looked awkwardly away - she wasn’t the type to weep in front of everyone. The adults, with grim, set expressions on their face, continued to talk about just how unfair it was that these poor, innocent children had to die.</p><p>Normally, Atlas and Flint would be sent out of the room while the adults, Johanna, and Ash watched, but now that they were going into fourth grade, Atlas and Flint were required to watch. Children from birth to third grade were excused from watching, but when they reached fourth grade, they would have class discussions about the games and would even watch segments of them in school.</p><p>The Masons and The Waters’ were the relatives of the most known Rebels from the Dark Days and still had a fierce hatred for the Capitol and the Hunger Games, but they kept it quiet in front of anyone but each other. Johanna was just glad she had someone to express her anger to.</p><p>After dinner, the adults went to the living room to talk amongst themselves. Atlas and Flint went outside to play while Johanna and Ash went to hang out in Johanna’s room. “I hate reaping days,” Ash groaned, sitting down on the floor.</p><p>“Fuck the Capitol,” Johanna said bluntly, making a rude gesture toward the ceiling.</p><p> “My, my, my. How rude of you to use such language! I might just have to cut your tongue out!” Ash said with a fake Capitol accent. Johanna let herself laugh. It was an offensive joke, sure, but sometimes humor was the best way to cope with such awful things.</p><p>The two sat in silence, appreciating the fact that they weren’t in the Capitol preparing for death. Johanna thought Ash was lucky that she only had a year left of eligibility, but Ash comforted her, though, letting her know that the odds really were in her favor. There were some kids who had to take five, six, seven, tesserae a year, sometimes even more. This helped, but Johanna couldn’t help but to already be nervous for next year.</p><p>After a while of sitting in silence, Mrs. Waters came to collect Ash. “Bye, Jo!” then Ash turned on her heel and jokingly put her middle finger up at Johanna, who rolled her eyes.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Traditions and Explanations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“I’m heading out!” Johanna called, shrugging on her cardigan as she closed the door. Now that everyone was gone, Johanna could partake in the final part of her Reaping Day traditions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Underneath the starlight, Johanna walked a path that had become muscle memory by this point. She sucked in a deep breath of the forest air and let herself smile. She was </span>
  <em>
    <span>home</span>
  </em>
  <span> and she was thankful for it. As she climbed up her favorite tree, Johanna pondered what she’d be doing right now, had her fate been different. Probably on a train headed to the Capitol, to her death.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johanna was </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>grateful to be home. She stared through the pine needles at the stars and sighed. Although she was thankful to be home, she was mad that the tributes--Sparrow and Peter, weren’t home. She was mad that within the next few weeks, twenty-three children would </span>
  <em>
    <span>die</span>
  </em>
  <span> at the hands of the Capitol. Twenty-three children with people they loved, with dreams, with </span>
  <em>
    <span>lives</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There had been rumors of an uprising, although the mayor had quickly informed everyone they were false. Johanna, being a part of a family of rebels, knew otherwise. There were plans of an uprising to start an uprising within the next ten years or so. She didn’t know much else, as her parents refused to tell her anything. There was a group of Rebels in District 7. They couldn’t get very far, given the lack of communication, but Johanna and Ash assumed they were getting further than they seemed. Johanna decided to keep it off her mind, though. Things would happen when they happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johanna, although reluctant, climbed down the tree. Her family knew she was gone--she’d done this every Reaping Day since she was twelve, but she did have to get back at a reasonable hour. She walked back home and crept inside quietly, as not to wake anyone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing her father awake on the couch didn’t surprise Johanna. He never slept on Reaping nights, just stayed awake appreciating that his children were there and alive. She joined her father on the couch and sat in silence for a few moments.  “Glad I’m home,” Johanna said quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too, Jo,” Her father said. She knew he needed alone time, so Johanna padded upstairs to the room she shared with her brother and climbed quietly into her bed, falling asleep quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few hours of fitful rest, Johanna figured out that sleeping in wouldn’t be an option. She slipped out of bed and tiptoed toward her closet, grabbed her swim clothes, and tiptoed downstairs. She changed into her swim clothes and headed out the door. It was nearly 7 in the morning, but it was already hot enough that Johanna had to go back and grab shoes so she didn’t burn her feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jumping in the lake was a relief. Johanna </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved </span>
  </em>
  <span>to swim, so having a lake less than a mile away from her house was convenient. She submerged her head in the water and sighed as the cool water seemed to sizzle off her skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After swimming around for a while, Johanna hoisted herself out of the water, wrung out her hair, and got dressed behind a tree. She managed to get home before her family woke. Today, before the Hunger Games started, Johanna and her parents would have a talk with Atlas about the Hunger Games.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get up, sleepyhead, it’s nine,” Johanna said in that special voice she saved for the ones she loved. Atlas yawned and stretched</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s summer, why do I have to get up?” he groaned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remember? Me, Mom and Dad have to talk to you about the Games,” Johanna smiled lightly, “Mom made your favorite for breakfast.” She hoisted herself out of her sitting position and walked downstairs, sitting down at the table just as her father put four plates of pancakes and hashbrowns on the table. Atlas came down soon after and joined them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lightheartedly, he asked, “so what did you want to tell me about the Games? I already know they send two kids from each district to the Capitol to play some sort of game, and only one wins. I also know that us and the Waters family don’t like this game, and that we’re really happy Johanna didn’t have to play it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johanna sighed. She remembered getting this talk when she was Atlas’s age. Her parents had sat her down at the kitchen table with her favorite breakfast and told her about the Games. She had been so horrified, so disgusted that she threw her glass of orange juice at the wall and broke it. Her young self just didn’t understand why the world was so unjust. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her parents did their best to shield the children from the horrors of the Games until it was absolutely necessary. Atlas knew a little bit from some friends at school, but was still blissfully unaware of the sheer horror of it all. That veil of innocence was about to be shattered, though, and it made Johanna mad. No child-- scratch that, no person should </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever</span>
  </em>
  <span> have to think about cruelty like this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johanna’s dad cleared his throat. “so,” he started, “A long time ago, everyone used to live all together in a sort of large district. Then, the Capitol took over and separated us into thirteen different districts. Eventually, the districts decided that this was all unfair, so they rose up against the Capitol. Unfortunately, the Capitol didn’t like this uprising, so they entirely obliterated District 13 as a warning to the other districts that the Capitol was in charge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does this have to do with the Games?” Atlas asked, taking a swig of orange juice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m getting to that, hold on,” Johanna’s father paused and turned to his wife. “Would you like to take it from here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johanna’s mom nodded. “So, as a further reminder that the Capitol was in charge, the Hunger Games were created. A boy and a girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen are chosen from each district every year. They’re taken to the Capitol in order to train for the games.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Impatiently, Atlas asked, “Okay, okay, I get it, but what </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>the games?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mrs. Mason sighed, then said,  “listen, Atlas, when these twenty-four children are sent to the Capitol, after a few days there, they’re flown to an arena. In that arena, they’re forced to survive on their own. The goal is to kill all but one of the tributes, so there’s quite a lot of murder involved in the games because the Capitol are such bloodthirsty sons of b-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mrs. Mason cut herself off, then continued, “Sorry, sorry. Almost all of the children who die in the arena die because they’re murdered by other tributes. Most of the tributes who kill aren’t bad people, they’re just kids who want to go home. The Capitol find the games entertaining, so that’s why they’re televised,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johanna looked softly at Atlas, who was lost in thought. “You mean the people who don’t come back are killed in the arena? That’s not fair, they didn’t ask to come! Why would the Capitol want to watch that?” He said, a hurt tone to his voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was that fighting spirit, that rebel attitude that the Masons possessed. It was awful, though, that it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>they had to rebel against. Johanna said, “It’s okay to be angry about it. You can talk about it to us, you can scream into a pillow if you’d like. Just please, Atlas, never, </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever</span>
  </em>
  <span> talk bad about the Games to anyone other than us or the Waters family, anywhere other than home. There’s often punishment if you get caught talking against the Capitol.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Atlas nodded. “I don’t want to think about this right now. Dad, will you take me to the lake?” He asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, son. Go get your swimming clothes,” Mr. Mason said, trying his best to sound happy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johanna stood up from her chair. “I’m going to work for a few hours,” she declared, “I won’t watch whatever happens with the Games today, I can just watch the recaps later tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was mandatory to watch the Games, but only once the tributes were in the arena. You could skip and just watch recaps of the days pre and post arena without getting in trouble. Johanna liked to go to work to clear her mind--of course, it wasn’t necessary for her to work, she just enjoyed chopping wood and the pay was a huge benefit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Walking out to the forest, Johanna was happy she had a place to express her anger without destroying anything important. She drove her favorite axe into a log and got to work.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Huge thanks to my beta reader, @dream_crusaders, who has been amazing, seriously. Despite our huge timezone difference, she's been outstanding to work with and we've gotten lots done! Things are going to get pretty intense within the next few chapters, so get ready for that!</p><p>Comments/reviews are always appreciated, and as always, thank you so much for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Bloodbath</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was 4:30 in the morning and Johanna awoke from a fitful rest. Today was the day the tributes would go into the arena. Today was the day of the bloodbath, the start of the 70th Hunger Games. Usually, Johanna would just grit her teeth and sit through the Games, but this year, it was different. Atlas would be watching with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Waters family always came over on the more important days of the Games, and today was no exception. Johanna knew that Ash wouldn’t be asleep right now, either. Her little brother, Flint, would be watching the Games for the first time this year, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quietly getting out of bed and dressing, Johanna headed downstairs and slipped out the door. She walked the 20 minute walk to Ash's house. Unsurprisingly, Ash was sitting on the front porch. The sun wouldn’t be rising for another hour, so the girls didn’t have to worry about being caught saying anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’d you know I’d be up?” Ash yawned, tying her hair up into a bun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just assumed. And if you weren’t awake, I’d have dragged you out of bed,” Johanna said, plunking down on the porch next to Ash.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough,” Ash sighed. “I’m just a bit nervous for Flint to see the bloodbath today. Even though I’ve been watching for what, 8 years now, I’m still upset by the Games.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johanna gave a sympathetic nod. “That’s because the Capitol fucking sucks,” she whispered. The two girls sat in comfortable silence as the sun rose and the air around them grew warmer. By the time the sun had lit up the sky, Johanna decided she’d better get home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to head home,” she hoisted herself off the porch. “I’ll see you in a few hours for the games.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she got home, Johanna found her mother awake, looking miserable on the couch. The thought of being heavily pregnant in the summer sounded like it’s own special type of hell. The baby was supposed to come within the next few weeks, and Johanna was glad. She remembered her mother’s pregnancy with Atlas--it had been easier on her than this one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Mama. I’m going to make some breakfast. Is there anything you want?” Johanna asked, using a softer tone than usual.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This baby’s making me nauseous in the mornings, so I’ll skip the breakfast for now, Jo. I’ll just have some orange juice.” Mrs. Mason hugged her daughter as best she could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, Mama, I’ll get that for you!” Johanna said in a voice she hoped was convincingly cheerful. By the time Johanna had finished making scrambled eggs, waffles, and had juiced some oranges, it was time for everybody to get up. Her father and mother were already awake, but her brother seemed to be sleeping in. Johanna didn’t bother waking Atlas up gently, even if today was his first time watching the Hunger Games. She wanted the day to seem as normal as possible for him. Her parents had been gentle with her all day of her first time watching the Games, and it hadn’t been helpful. It had made her assume it wasn’t as bad as it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Atlas, breakfast!” Johanna called, placing all the plates and cups on the table. Atlas came bounding down the stairs at the mention of breakfast. Typically, on the days of the Games, Atlas would eat breakfast and play with Flant until that day’s ‘episode’ of the Hunger Games was over. Today, he’d have to face the horrors.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“By the way, Flint, Ash and their parents are coming over at 9:30. Eat up quick so you can get yourself looking presentable,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Atlas gave a mock-offended look to Johanna. “Who says,” he paused, striking a ridiculous pose with his messy hair and pajamas that consisted solely of a pair of shorts, “I don’t look presentable already?” Johanna nearly snorted her orange juice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After breakfast, her father collected the plates while everyone else went to get ready. By the time everyone was dressed and ready, Ash, her brother, and her parents had arrived.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Jo, can I talk to you a sec?” Ash's voice was shaking. Johanna immediately pulled her aside. Ash was a very steady and stable person, so if her voice was shaking, something had to be wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it, Ash?” Johanna asked once the two were out of earshot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just that Flint can hardly stand looking at the blood when he skins his knees. How, in the name of Panem, is he going to watch the bloodbath?” Ash whisper-shouted, clenching and unclenching her fists.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The same way both of us did. He’ll grit his teeth and bear it. As will Atlas. Just like our parents did. It sucks, and the Capitol sucks, and this whole fucked up system sucks, but we all have to bear it. The rebels will figure something out and we won’t have to bear it anymore, I’m sure of it,” Johanna hugged Ash and the two re-entered the living room.</span>
</p><p><span>The Capitol anthem began on the TV as an announcer started talking excitedly about how this was going to be the best</span> <span>Hunger</span> <span>Games</span><em><span> ever. </span></em><span>There was a collective scoff from the adults in the room.</span></p><p>
  <span>The announcer got quiet as the screen closed in on each of the tributes. Some were pale and nervous:one boy even threw up all over his stylist. As usual, some of the Career tributes seemed excited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The arena was like a circle, outlined by a large, rushing river. The inside of the arena was a mix of dried out forests and huge, rolling hills. The cornucopia sat just atop the largest hill, right in the center of the arena.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bloodbath was brutal. The male tribute from 4 was beheaded slowly by a surprisingly strong tribute from 8, while the girl from 4 just stood there and gawked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johanna tore her eyes away from the screen to check in on everyone else. Her mother was looking at the screen, intense anger in her eyes. Her father had Atlas, who was shaking, gathered up in his arms. Flint was sitting between his parents, covering his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johanna thought back to her first time watching the Games. It had been the 63rd Hunger Games. She remembered gripping the couch so hard her knuckles went white when she saw the bloodbath. After that horrible first day, it had gotten easier for her to watch. She had gotten a little desensitised to the violence by the end of the Games. Johanna didn’t remember who won that year, maybe a tribute from 1 or 2.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That night, Johanna gave Atlas a talk about how he had to be brave watching the Games, as fear was what the Capitol wanted. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>hated </span>
  </em>
  <span>that she had to be telling her little brother to face the death of children without fear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sometimes, Johanna thought her “rebel spirit” was a bit too much since there wasn’t much she could do to start a revolution. Having to watch the murder of children with her family and friends didn’t sit right with her, though.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you so much for reading. As usual, comments/reviews are always appreciated!</p><p>Things are really going to get intense for Johanna next chapter, so that’s why this one is more ‘casual’! Also, you might notice that I mention orange juice a lot. It might look a little strange, but it’s going to be incorporated into the plot further ahead in the story. Boom, look at me foreshadowing (not really though, haha)</p><p> </p><p>I hope you all have a great day</p><p>-Wren</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Words</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW for gore/violence</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“For some reason, the Games haven’t been creeping me out so much lately.” Atlas said when he and Johanna reached the lake. After that fifteen-minute walk in the sun, they were hot and ready to get in the water.</p><p>“Yeah, that’s normal. You get used to it. I was used to it after my second time watching.” She corrected herself, “Well, as used to it as you can be. It’s always awful, but it’s more bearable after a while.” Johanna dipped her toe in the water, testing the temperature. She decided it wasn’t too cold and jumped in. She felt awful telling her younger brother that he’d get used to watching such a violent and awful thing, but it was true. It was always brutal to watch, but it stopped being so jarring after a while.</p><p>After swimming (and having a rather violent splash fight) for around an hour, Johanna’s father came to collect her and Atlas. He practically had to drag Atlas out of the lake. </p><p>Since the baby was due so soon and didn’t have a nursery, Johanna’s mother, father and brother would be clearing out the office to make it into a nursery. Johanna would be going into town to purchase some of the supplies they needed. They already had Johanna and Atlas’s baby clothes and the crib they’d both used, so it was only a few things she needed to buy. </p><p>Once she was changed and had some money, Johanna was out the door. She liked going out to the shops. Today was beautiful, so Johanna was in high spirits when she arrived in the town center. There were a lot of peacekeepers--more than usual. She suddenly remembered her mother mentioning at breakfast that some Capitol citizen was here to do inspections or something. Any time someone from the Capitol was in 7, the peacekeepers seemed to multiply.</p><p>Johanna muttered some profanities toward the Capitol quietly enough that nobody would hear. Apparently, that wasn’t quiet enough. Before she could react, she felt a strong hand around her upper arm. She tensed up as she dared to look at who it was. A peacekeeper.</p><p>“Come with me.” the peacekeeper said in a monotonous voice. Johanna didn’t dare resist. With her heart pounding what she assumed was one hundred times faster than usual, she walked behind the peacekeeper. It wasn’t like she had a choice. He had her arm in an iron grip.</p><p>Johanna really didn’t like where the peacekeeper was taking her. They arrived on the platform in the middle of the town center. The peacekeeper removed Johanna’s shirt and stood her against a whipping post, leaving her bare back exposed and her hands tied. She found herself wishing she’d remembered to put on a bra, but it was so hot and her shirt was loose, so she hadn’t thought to. Then again, maybe they’d have taken off that too.</p><p>The head peacekeeper, who was notoriously strict, came out and called those around to witness Johanna’s public whipping. She held her breath as she heard the whip fly back. As it whacked her skin, she bit her lip and didn’t make a sound. She wasn’t sorry for what she said. The second time the whip hit her back, it brought tears to her eyes. After she was whipped a third time, Johanna realized that her silence wasn’t doing anything. </p><p>The head peacekeeper stopped for a moment and, she assumed, got a newer, more painful whip. The next lash made her body feel as if it was on fire. She was whipped once more and that was when she realized she’d have to be vocal.</p><p>And so Johanna began to scream, shout, cry, wail, plead, everything she could do to make everyone think she was sorry. She knew that some skin was definitely gone from her back. It stung like a bitch. This was the worst pain Johanna had ever felt, but she still wasn’t sorry. Twice more, she was whipped, but with the softer whip. Maybe he didn’t want to injure her too badly. </p><p>It occurred to her to just say sorry. She wailed, “Please, stop, I won’t do it again! I’m sorry!” She clenched her jaw, expecting another lashing.</p><p>This seemed to please the peacekeeper, because he said, “You’d better be.” She was sure that it was over now. She breathed a sigh of relief. Then came one last lashing, harder and more painful than all the others. Her back exploded into a new type of agony. So hot and fierce it almost felt cold. The pain became too much, and Johanna slipped into a tenuous state of consciousness.</p><p>She came to within seconds. Someone with rough, calloused hands came to untie her. It only occurred to her that it was her father when he picked her up so gently, and when she smelled his familiar scent of sawdust and pine needles. She stayed half-conscious as he walked at a steady pace. She became aware that she was shirtless, and that half the town had probably seen her bare chest when her father picked her up. That was probably the least of her worries, though.</p><p>Johanna was able to stay awake when she was laid on a table at the local healer’s place. She could answer the question the healer asked. She knew she’d been whipped eight times. Who knew saying a few words could cause a person this much pain?</p><p>“Jo, sweetheart, what did you do?” Her mother asked her when the healer left to grab some more medicine.</p><p>“I just muttered something about the Capitol! I don’t even remember what!” Her heart quickened when she remembered her little brother. “Where’s Atlas? Did he see anything? Is he-”</p><p>Her father interrupted her. “Atlas is with Mr. and Mrs. Waters, he didn’t see anything,”  Johanna let out a breath. She didn’t know what she’d do if Atlas had seen her get whipped. That would be traumatizing for him.</p><p>“Mr. and Mrs. Mason, you’re free to take your daughter home now. Put this ointment on her back daily. She needs plenty of rest and shouldn’t work or do anything physically exerting until it’s mostly healed, and even then she should take it easy. No running or working until it’s completely healed over,”</p><p>Johanna groaned. She wanted to work! Both of the whips used weren’t even the worst she’d seen. There were a plethora of spiked and hooked ones, she’d just been lashed with leather ones! She’d heard the healer say that she’d seen much worse. That was a comfort. At least it would heal eventually. Johanna had seen people left crippled from whippings. This was nothing compared to that.</p><p>Once they were home, her mother fashioned her a shirt that left her back bare but covered everything else. She’d just taken an old shirt and used scissors to cut open the back. When her mother applied the ointment and bandages, Johanna cursed like a sailor. It stung like hell and made her back feel hot. She would have to lie on her stomach for the next couple of days in order for the scabs to set properly without breaking.</p><p>Atlas arrived home later that evening, bringing Ash along with him. Johanna had no idea if either of them knew what happened. Based on their reactions upon seeing her, she knew they didn’t.</p><p>“Jo! What in the name of Panem did you do?” Ash practically yelled.</p><p>“I muttered something about the Capitol and got whipped,” Johanna said as nonchalantly as she could, not wanting to freak anybody out, “Cas, it’s not as bad as it seems, I promise.”</p><p>Ash sighed and sat down next to where Johanna was laying. “Never a dull moment with you, is there?”</p><p>“Never.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey, everyone! I hope you're well. This chapter was really interesting to write--I've never written a whipping and it required some research. Do you think Johanna's punishment was too brutal for just a few words?</p><p>Where I am has been affected by some fires, so I didn't have a whole lot of time to write. We’ve doing some preparations in case we lose power/water/have to evacuate due to the fires. So far so good, though. I'm still at home and hoping I'll get to stay here.</p><p>Anyhow, I'll quit info-dumping--I hope you like this chapter!</p><p>Have an awesome day/night.</p><p>~Wren</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Still, Then Loud</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW for childbirth!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Johanna spent the next two weeks on the couch recovering. The worst part was the itching. When her back began to scab over, she had to wear mittens in her sleep because if she didn’t, she would wake up with her scabs re-opened and her fingernails bloody.</p><p>Her mom, dad, and Atlas had finished the nursery. Johanna was quietly a little jealous that this baby got their own room while she had to share one with her brother. Oh well, though, some people in the district had to share a room with their siblings and parents. She could hardly complain.</p><p>The games had come to a nerve-racking climax when the arena was flooded. The girl from 4, Annie Cresta, won, but just barely. She had managed to out-swim everyone else. She was taken out of the arena screaming, soaking, freezing, and barely alive. This made Johanna mad. The Capitol left children like this. She’d heard Ash say once that nobody really ever leaves the arena. Johanna had, against the healer’s instruction, run outside and climbed a tree. She hated the Games. She hated the Capitol, she hated almost everything.</p><p>After two weeks, her mom took her to the healer to get evaluated. Johanna was now allowed to walk around a little more. Beforehand, she’d only been allowed to get up to go to the bathroom. Johanna thought it a little silly that she had to rest for so long, this wasn’t close to the worst injury she’d seen! She was also allowed to take a proper bath instead of just wiping herself down.</p><p>Johanna stepped out of the bathroom, dressed and rebandaged after a nice, cool bath. She rolled her shoulders and popped her neck, it was nice to stand up for more than a few seconds. </p><p>“Jo, Atlas go get your shoes on, quickly!” Her father’s slightly panicked voice rang through the house. Johanna knew what was happening. She’d heard her father’s voice like this once before, and that was the day Atlas was born.</p><p>Johanna ran upstairs and grabbed a pair of sneakers for her and a pair for Atlas. “Atlas, get these on quickly. You’re gonna be a big brother! Mom’s in labor.”</p><p>At the healer’s place, along with two healers, there were a few women who’d been in labor many times before who were there to help. Johanna had been through this before when Atlas was born, though she’d been just seven at the time. She and Ash had stood outside the room until Johanna’s father called them in to meet a brand new baby boy. At 7 years old, Johanna hadn’t developed a filter yet, so she’d said very matter-of-factly, “He looks like an old man. Why’s he so wrinkly?” This had earned her a lot of laughs.</p><p>This time, Johanna would be in the room. Atlas too, though he could leave if he felt like it. She was supposed to stay in the room, as she had to be there to help if anything went wrong that needed a lot of people to help.</p><p>She was allowed to wait outside until her mom started to push, though. Johanna leaned against the wall and tipped her head up to stare at the ceiling. She didn’t know how she felt about the fact that she was going to have another sibling in a few hours. Johanna, of course, adored her family and had a soft spot in her regular sharp personality for them, but babies took up a lot of time and there was every chance this baby could be born with something wrong. It happened all the time. Babies were born dead, born missing limbs, among other things Johanna didn’t want to think about. And her mom! Women dying in childbirth wasn’t rare in 7.</p><p>Her panicked cycle of thoughts was interrupted by her name being called. “Johanna, your mom’s ready to push!” She breathed deep and walked into the room. </p><p>“How’s everything going? Can I help?”</p><p>“Your mom’s well. We’re worried about the baby, though, it’s not moving as much as it should so we’re trying to move the labor along faster.”</p><p>She nodded and moved to her mother’s side. Her mother didn’t seem to need any medical assistance, so she figured she could be emotional support. Her father was standing on Mrs. Mason’s other side.  “You’ve got this, Mama,” Johanna whispered when her mom’s eyes shut tight as she pushed.</p><p>As her mother was angled a bit upward, Johanna could see what was going on. She knew how babies were conceived and born, but this was not what she expected. Atlas had left the room looking pale just before Mrs. Mason started pushing. She had to push for about fifteen minutes before there was any real progress.</p><p>Mrs. Mason didn’t swear often, but as she was pushing the baby’s shoulders out, she let out a whole string of profanities. Johanna couldn’t blame her, though. “That’s gotta fucking hurt.” She muttered.</p><p>“Ya think?” her mother grinned, then pushed one last time. The world seemed to stop spinning when Johanna didn’t hear the piercing cry she’d expected to come from the baby. She tentatively looked down, then let out a gasp when she saw the baby. Face purple, not breathing, with the cord wrapped around its neck.</p><p>“Do something!” She shrieked louder than she’d anticipated. A healer grabbed the baby and quickly unwrapped the cord. She gave the baby a gentle couple smacks on the back with the heel of her hand, and after a long, tense moment, a cry rang out around the room. The world seemed to shift from still and quiet to loud and joyous in a fraction of a second. Some of the adults cried, too. Johanna just stared in awe at this brand new life and her exhausted mother.</p><p>Johanna’s mom lifted the baby in front of her and smiled. “It’s a girl! Jo, go get Atlas. He’ll want to meet her.”</p><p>Johanna ran out of the room and shouted into the hallway, “Atlas! Come meet your new baby sister!” Atlas grinned big and ran up to Johanna, hugging her tight. The two walked into the room quietly, where Mrs. Mason was holding the brand new baby, who was wrapped in a fresh blanket. Johanna sat down on the bed next to her mother and held out her arms.</p><p>As the baby was placed in her arms, Johanna felt a huge surge of love come through her. Johanna didn’t love a lot of people. She was so full of ferocity and anger and so many other things that she only had time to love her family(which, in her opinion, contained the Waters family)</p><p>“You got a name for her, Mama?”</p><p>“I do. Welcome to the world, Acacia Mason.” Mrs. Mason said. Johanna thought the name was pretty, and fitting for the little girl. She had the same wide-set brown eyes and dark brown hair as Johanna and her mother, while having Atlas’s long fingers and her father’s face structure.</p><p>This baby, although loud, was alive and well, and that put Johanna’s mind at ease.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey, everyone! I hope you liked this chapter. I've never witnessed a labor before, but I talked to my mom about her experience having me (I apparently took 27 hours to be born. Sorry, mom!) I didn't want it to be too graphic, so I skipped over quite a few details. This fic won't become baby-centered, don't worry. Jo's still gonna be up to her usual antics!</p><p>It's been raining, which has cleared up the smoke a good bit, so I'm able to go on walks again to get a little inspiration. Plus it's great to listen to the rain while I write!</p><p>That's all for the day! I hope you're all well and safe.</p><p>-Wren</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Work</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Teeny tiny chapter! I’m posting this so I don’t leave too big of a gap while I’m figuring out the next chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun was just beginning to rise as Johanna sat on the porch, baby Acacia in her arms and Ash next to her. </p><p>“I just wish there was some way to let Acacia grow up in a free world. One without the Capitol or the Games or starvation or fear.” Ash said, gently placing her finger on Acacia’s palm. She clenched her tiny fist around Ash's finger.</p><p>Johanna sighed. There were a lot of things she wanted to say, but she just went with,  “I know. It fucking sucks.”  </p><p> </p><p>The trees were dark in contrast with the sky, which was barely tainted purple. The late August air was sweet and temperate. Johanna smiled lightly and looked down at Acacia, who was looking around with wonder at the world around her. At just three days old, this was bound to be so new and beautiful to her. Johanna nearly envied the veil of wonder and innocence Acacia saw the world through.</p><p>“G’morning, Jo. Why are you up so early?” Atlas appeared in the doorway to outside, still in his pajamas. Flint soon followed--they’d had a big group sleepover the night before.</p><p>“I could ask you the same thing!” </p><p>Flint came and sat next to Johanna. “Can I hold the baby? I haven’t yet.” </p><p>She gently placed Acacia in Flint's arms. “Support her head!” She said gently. God, she thought, I sound like my mother! She shook her head gently and stood up. “Ash and I are going to work for a bit. Go take Acacia inside to Mom and Dad.”</p><p>Johanna needed to get out of babyland for a bit--there was so much love and joy in the house and that was wonderful, but she really needed to be out in the forest for a while. “You coming?” She held out her hand to help Ash off the porch. </p><p>The crunch of her work boots against the pine needles and leaves was comforting to Johanna. She and Ash walked wordlessly toward the forest, where their job was to chop logs into smaller logs to be shipped off. She was so glad to finally get back to work after all that rest. Johanna grabbed her favorite axe--A sturdy one she’d carved her name into when she was nine, and got to work. </p><p>“Did you see the victor on her interviews the other day? The poor thing spoke maybe four words! I just feel so awful for her.” Ash's voice wobbled as she started on a rather thick log. She’d always been incredibly empathetic toward the victors, especially the more damaged ones.</p><p>“Yeah, even Caesar couldn’t get a word out of her.”</p><p> Johanna drove her axe as hard as she could into her log. This turned into a wordless contest of who could smack their axe harder into their log. Johanna’s cheeks were pink and she was laughing harder than she had in a long time.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Very short and probably kind of boring, but I hope you like the chapter! Comments/replies are always appreciated. Next chapter will be more interesting, I’ve just gotta work on it a bit since there’s a bit of a gap in my outline around this time frame. I’ve got pretty much everything planned out, though, which is good, so stay tuned! This fic will continue all the way though the events of Mockingjay.</p><p>Hope you’re all doing well,</p><p>Wren</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. School</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Johanna sat on the bathroom floor, rubbing her fingernails on a pumice stone. Her mother insisted she couldn’t go to her first day of school with long nails. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You finished, Jo? We’ve gotta cut your hair before it dries.” Johanna heard her father call. She set down the pumice stone and groaned. She hated all this pampering. It wasn’t like today was a reaping day—it was just the first day of school, nothing special. She’d much rather just go to school, go to work, then come home for dinner like usual. Not all this dumb prettying up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Atlas, too, had been subject to the pumice stone and a haircut, but he’d chosen to do those things the night before so he could sleep in. Johanna wanted to put it off as long as possible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Coming, Mom!” Johanna stood up a little too fast and saw stars, but continued toward outside anyway. She plunked down in the chair her father had brought outside and put her wet hair over the back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excited to start eleventh grade?” Mr. Mason began to snip away at Johanna’s hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” Johanna offered no further comment. It was five-thirty in the morning and the last thing she wanted to do was socialize. School started early in the morning and ended early in the afternoon--Johanna liked it that way. She could get school over with and go to work if she wanted, all while being home before dinner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a couple of inches were trimmed off her hair, Johanna got up. She thanked her dad and headed inside. Taking the baby from her mother, she headed upstairs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning, dumbass.” Johanna grinned and put Acacia next to Atlas. He stretched and scooped the baby up for some snuggles. “Come downstairs with the baby when you’re ready for school. I’ll walk with you so you don’t have to meet your teacher by yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was that soft spot Johanna had for her family. She hated that she was so soft, but she couldn’t help it with the people she loved. She knew Atlas was scared about his teacher. The fourth-grade teacher was notorious for being strict.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time Mr. and Mrs. Mason were done fussing over the children, and Atlas and Johanna had kissed their parents and Acacia goodbye, they were nearly going to be late for school. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johanna dropped off Atlas, who was trembling a bit, at the elementary school. She knelt down and told him, “I survived fourth grade. The teacher won’t be bad to you if you don’t talk out of turn, so keep your mouth shut unless you’re answering or asking a question, and remember to raise your hand. If you’ve got something funny to say, you can write it down on a paper and tell it to one of your friends at break or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Atlas nodded and hugged Johanna. He walked into the school next to Flint, not shaking anymore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johanna, fortunately, wasn’t nervous about school. After next year, she’d be done with school and able to work more full time. She’d be expected to get married and have babies after that, though she wasn’t sure about that part. The thought of a boyfriend made Johanna scoff—sure, she’d probably like to get married eventually, but she did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to think about that now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johanna rolled her shoulders and walked forward into the school. The day was full of introductions and games. She found this useless. It wasn’t like there were ever really any new students, and she already knew her classmates' names for the most part. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She kept herself company all day, making snarky comments in her head (and whispering them to Ash in the classes they had together) until the final bell rang and she could go home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she got home, there was a note on the counter. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Acacia is with Mr. and Mrs. Waters. Dad is at work. I’m at the healer’s with Atlas</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He fell down at break and hurt his arm pretty badly. Dad will go get Acacia after work. Atlas and I will be back before dinner. </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Love, Mom.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Johanna was a bit worried, but she’d seen Atlas go through injuries and come back fine. He’d broken three of his fingers and been back to roughhousing the next day. She bit back a grin. There really wasn’t ever a normal day in her family, and she wouldn’t trade it for the world.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey! It's been a while since I've updated, but thankfully, I got some inspiration and wrote a chapter! This chapter's really quite short, and I'll try to make the next ones longer. Sorry for all the casual chapters, I promise things will heat up soon. I'm thinking about writing some stuff about the rebels in District 7, so stay tuned!</p><p>I hope you liked this chapter!</p><p>-Wren</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Bear</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Johanna has a confrontation with a bear.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>On a spring morning after a ridiculously freezing winter, Johanna woke just as dawn broke. She pulled on one of her dad’s flannels and left the house. The sharp air sliced through her morning sleepiness and left her incredibly aware of everything around her. The last remnants of snow mixed with the pine needles on the ground crunched under her boots as she walked the path into the forest. Johanna passed the spot where she usually worked--she wanted to get far enough away from the workspace that she was in a more undisturbed area of nature.</p><p>
  <span>One of the only things that put Johanna in pure awe was nature at its prime. There was something so peaceful about being alone in the middle of the forest. Johanna whistled the tune to the first song that came to her mind, and soon enough, the forest was echoing with music. There were a few families of Mockingjays in the forest. Johanna didn’t often visit them. She liked to give the birds their space, but at the beginning of spring, she always went to see them. Johanna was very into traditions, especially when it came to nature.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She cleared her throat and began to sing. Her voice filled the air with song as she looked for a suitable tree to climb. Her voice wasn’t good but it was clear enough that the Mockingjays could follow along soon enough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Johanna heard some footsteps that weren’t her own, she became dead still and looked around, heart beating quickly. It wasn’t illegal to be out in the woods, but she was still cautious. Her heart seemed to skip ten beats when she saw the bear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew </span>
  </em>
  <span>she was supposed to walk away as discreetly as she could. There were lessons in school about what to do if you saw a bear. Against her better judgement, Johanna stood still. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bear began walking toward her. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>huge</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She’d never seen a bear up close—sometimes, she’d see one during work, but at work, there were people around her who had bear spray and weapons. Johanna had nothing of the sort. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bear got close enough to her that if Johanna reached out, she’d be able to touch it. She could smell its musky odor. She breathed as slow and shallow as she could manage because she didn’t want to startle the bear. Johanna wasn’t sure if she’d die if the bear attacked her—she knew how to fight back, and she’d seen many people survive bear attacks. But she’d also heard of many people dying from bear attacks. Johanna had no idea whether she’d live to see another day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bear stepped closer and Johanna averted her eyes. Eye contact would aggravate the bear, right? She thought she remembered that from school. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A terrified Johanna stood face to face with the bear for what felt like hours. It touched her with its paw at one point and left a huge spot of dirt on her flannel. She could hear nothing but her heartbeat and the bear’s low, hungry breathing. Everything else seemed to disappear, and all that was left in the world was her and the bear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After several more minutes, the bear walked away. Johanna’s entire body seemed to flood with relief. When she was positive that it was gone, Johanna broke into a run and got herself out of the forest. She ran through brambles and got her legs all scratched up and bloody, but she didn’t care. She needed to get home. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sun had risen by now and she was sure her family was awake. They probably weren’t worried—Johanna was often gone when they woke up. When she got into the house, she saw her mother in the kitchen and threw herself into her arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Johanna—you’re filthy, what happened to you? Your pants are all torn—are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>bleeding</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Mrs. Mason let go and looked Johanna up and down. Hearing the commotion, her father and Atlas came into the kitchen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mama, I saw a bear—it got really close to me, and then it just stared at me for </span>
  <em>
    <span>forever</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It even touched me with its paw!” Tears were pouring down her cheeks, which was a rare occurrence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Johanna,” Johanna’s mom gathered her sobbing daughter up in her arms and held her until she calmed down. “Let’s get your legs dealt with. Go get some shorts on, I’ll clean out your cuts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johanna changed into shorts, then went to sit at the table. Her mom cleaned up her legs quietly, occasionally grimacing and making comments such as “Ooh, that’s a deep one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she was clean and bandaged, Johanna had a bath, then curled up on the couch. Coming that close with something that could’ve potentially killed her was terrifying enough that she promised herself she’d never go that deep into the forest alone again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” she said to her mother when she came and sat down next to her with Acacia. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not mad, Jo. I know there’s no stopping you from going into the forest. I just want you to be more careful, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded and took the baby from her mom. “Acacia,” She said as seriously as she could to a grinning infant, “Don’t go near bears, it’s a very, very bad idea,” Johanna cracked a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mrs. Mason snorted with laughter, and in that moment, Johanna felt so incredibly lucky to be home.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So sorry for the long wait! I hope you like the chapter.</p><p>Also, I got the inspiration to write this chapter from the song The Great Bear by The Great Lake Swimmers, so I recommend giving it a listen!</p><p>I hope you're all doing well, and happy holidays!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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